More Americans are using social media to connect with politicians
Twitter just gained another famous user: President Barack Obama.
On Monday, the White House launched 
Some voters who connect with political figures on social media say they do so to bypass traditional journalism — 26% say that the information they get via a politician's social networking site is more reliable than what they get from traditional news organizations. These figures are mostly unchanged since 2010.
Another 35% of registered voters who use social media to follow a political candidate say a major reason is that it makes them feel more personally connected to politician or group.
While similar shares of Republicans and Democrats follow political figures on social media, there are some partisan differences as to why they choose to do so. Half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who follow political figures on social media say breaking news is a major reason for connecting with politicians in this way. This compares with 35% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents.
Among those who follow political figures on social media, Republicans and independents who lean Republican are also more likely than Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents to say they use social media in this way because news from traditional journalism outlets is not as reliable (33% vs. 20%).
The changing way Americans connect with politicians is especially notable given the runup to the 2016 presidential election. Many candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz, have used social media platforms to announce or discuss their potential presidential candidacy. And although Obama has only recently joined Twitter, his presidential campaigns have often been praised for effectively using social media to mobilize volunteers and voters.
